Kansas

Lawrence playwright tells her family's story of migration to Kansas for better opportunities

Published

7 months ago

June 19, 2025

Lawrence playwright tells her family's story of migration to Kansas for better opportunities

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Lawrence community can gather to celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday by attending a stage play by a local playwright who is telling the story of her parent’s migration from Mississippi to Kansas in search of better opportunities.

Rita Rials’ “Panther Burn: From the Fields of Struggle to the Road of Hope” will take the stage at the Lied Center of Kansas in Lawrence this Saturday.

Her parents were sharecroppers in Panther Burn, Mississippi, and moved to Kansas in the early 1960s in search of better opportunities.

“While we think about Juneteenth and it being recognized as the freedom day, this is just one example of how that struggle for freedom and for equal rights was still continuing and is still continuing,” Nicole Rials, Rita’s sister, said.

Rita and Nicole were two of 13 children in the Rials family. They grew up in North Lawrence.

“In our eyes, we lacked for nothing, but we didn’t know what their (parents’) struggle was, we didn’t know what it took for them to provide us with everything that they did,” Rita Rials said.

Nicole Rials said the play will help “open up our eyes to this experience and how it was similar for many Black families around that time.”

“The struggles during this time as it related to sharecropping was that this was post-slavery time, but in a lot of ways it was another form of slavery,” Nicole Rials said.

Lily O’Shea Becker/KSHB

Nicole and Rita Rials tells the story behind writing and producing a stage play based on the true story of their parent’s migration from Mississippi to Kansas in search of better opportunities.

While their mother will be in the crowd on Saturday, their father passed away in 2000. Nicole Rials said she thinks their dad would be “incredibly proud.”

“Our parents were real supporters of education, of giving back to your community,” she added.

Nicole helped Rita with the production of the stage play. It’s their seventh time presenting at the Lied Center.

“All of our products are original, centered around culturally relevant, diverse, social justice-themed opportunities to spread important messages,” Nicole Rials said.

The play is written and directed by Rita Rials. In addition to the Lied Center, Life Restoration Ministries — which both Rita and Nicole help lead — will present the play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. You can learn more here.

—

Source link

Click to comment

Kansas

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

Published

11 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

by: Wil Day

Posted: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

Updated: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture held a meeting on Thursday to discuss proposed rules regarding the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.

The Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and changes to current regulations under the law.

The division is looking at amending or revoking regulations related to flowmeters tracking water usage.

It is also proposing changes to groundwater usage rules on how far you can move a well from its original location to prevent harming the water rights of other landowners.

Another regulation would create voluntary Water Conservation Areas, where landowners work with the division to establish water conservation plans on their properties.

Some of the concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting dealt with property rights and the transfer of land to new owners. Some expressed concern about the sale of water rights to other landowners in the area.

There is no listed timeline for when the changes could be made.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

Source link

Kansas

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.

On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.

It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.

The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.

From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.

“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.

Source link

Kansas

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said Wednesday that he still loves baseball, but is “done” negotiating with the Royals on a new stadium for the team in the county.

According to Withington, Thursday, Jan. 8, was the deadline for the Royals to appear on the April 2026 ballot in the county.

Withington said the Royals told the county that they were not ready to meet that deadline.

Withington took to Facebook to explain that “the joy has been drained” out of him over the last few years and expressed his dislike towards the business of baseball.

He called negotiations with the team “a closed chapter” and said that the county is shifting its focus elsewhere.

“It’s time for the Commission to focus fully on priorities we control—either upgrading our existing county jail or building a new one,” Withington wrote.

The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County expires in January 2031.

KSHB 41’s political reporter Charlie Keegan reported in May 2025 on efforts by Missouri to keep both the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.

While the Chiefs announced that they will move to a new stadium site in 2031 in Wyandotte County, the Royals have not announced their next steps to get a new ballpark built.

A stadium site near 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park has emerged as a possibility for a stadium site for the ball club.

Some residents in that area are not happy about that possibility.

KSHB 41 News reached out to the Royals for comment, but has not heard back.